NEKO + grubbing

Refreshed from a year's meditation and fuelled by a lethal combination of extra strong coffee and those lotus biscuits with the cream in the middle, Neko, the premier act to emerge from Bristol's thriving Japanese language post rock/electronica micro scene (population 1), are set to release Windfall, their second EP, on 22 November 2024, following on from 2023 debut King Louie.

Like most second releases, it's a more mature collection of songs than its predecessor (fewer songs about 5 a side football, more songs about complicated IT jobs and desperate attempts to avoid middle aged spread) that sees the band, now with vocalist Yuka Suzuki as a full time member, polish and develop their distinctive sound.

Teaming up again with producer Dom Mitchison, the EP's four tracks are a vibrant melting pot of styles and ideas. Yuka Suzuki's ethereal vocals are the one constant, through the dreamy Stack Overflow and Kleshas to the moody guitar lines and Donna Summer style synths of Almost Forgotten. Slow building title track Windfall brings the EP to a pounding, cathartic conclusion.